Where to look for phone records on Xiaomi Redmi 9: all possible storage locations

Have you been having an important phone conversation on Xiaomi Redmi 9 but can’t record it manually? Or have you found that the conversation you want has disappeared from your call history? Don’t panic — your smartphone can automatically save audio files of conversations, but not always in obvious places. In this article, we’ll look at all the possible locations where Redmi 9 stores call records, including system folders, cloud services, and even hidden directories.

The Redmi 9 feature (codenamed lancelot) is that it works differently than on Xiaomi’s flagship models, for example, in some regions autowriting is disabled by default due to legal restrictions, and files can be saved in non-standard formats, and we will show you how to find records even in such cases, from the standard Phone application to manual search through the file manager.

Important: If you have never manually enabled recording, check first if your version of MIUI supports this feature, and in some custom firmware or countries with strict privacy laws (e.g. the EU), the option may be blocked.

1. Standard Phone app: where to look for records

The logical place to look is the built-in Phone app, which is not a call history, but a separate section that many users overlook.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Go to the Records tab (or Recordings in English), and if you don't, tap the three dots in the top right corner and select Conversation Records.
3. You will see a list of all saved audio files, sorted by date.

If the "Records" tab is missing, it means one of three:

• 🔴 The function is disabled in the settings (see the next section).
• 🔴 Your version. MIUI does not support recording (relevant for firmware for the EU or India).
• 🔴 Records are stored elsewhere (e.g. in Mi Cloud or on a memory card).

Note that Redmi 9's default record is.amr or.mp3, but you can only listen to it through the built-in player. If you copy the file to your computer, you may need to convert.

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI 12.5+ For Redmi 9, records are automatically deleted after 30 days unless you change your storage settings. → Annexes → Phone. → Storage.

2. How to enable autorecording of conversations (if the function is disabled)

If you can't find the recordings, maybe nobody's keeping them. On Redmi 9, the call recording function is disabled by default in most regions.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Slip on the three points in the upper right corner → Settings.
3. Select "Call Recording" (or "Call Recording").
4. Activate the Automatic Recording Switch and select which calls to save: 📞 All incoming and outgoing 📞 Only incoming 📞 Only outgoing 📞 Selectively (manually during the call)

Once the first record is turned on, you may need to confirm your access rights to the microphone and storage, and if the gray option is not activated, you may need to:

• 🔴 Your firmware does not support recording (relevant to the MIUI EU or Global ROM restrictively).
• 🔴 The phone has an application for recording from a third-party manufacturer that conflicts with the built-in.
• 🔴 Security settings block access to microphone for Phone app.

Make sure your phone has enough memory |Check permissions for the Phone app |Update MIUI to the latest version |Disable third-party applications to record calls-->

Redmi 9 with MIUI 12.0.3+ has an option to Write only unknown numbers, which is useful for spam filtering, but these records are stored separately and can be automatically deleted after 7 days.

3. Search for records through file manager: hidden folders

If the recordings are not displayed in the Phone app but you are sure they are being kept, try to find them manually through the file manager. On Redmi 9, audio conversation files can be stored in multiple folders:

To open these folders:

1. Use the built-in Files (Files by Google or Mi File Manager).
2. Enable the display of hidden files in the manager settings.
3. If there is no folder, check the memory card (the path will be) /storage/XXXX-XXXX/...).

A critical nuance for Redmi 9: If you use the memory card as an internal storage (Adoptable Storage function), the records can be saved in the /mnt/expand/... folder, which is not visible without root rights.

⚠️ Warning: Don’t rename the records manually, which can break their link to the call history. If you want to keep the record for a long time, copy it to another folder (like Download) and then edit it.

4. Cloud Storage: How to Find Records in Mi Cloud

If your Redmi 9 is synced to Mi Cloud, the conversation records can be automatically uploaded to the cloud, and the problem is that i.mi.com doesn't show them on the web, they can only be found through the mobile app.

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure that the synchronization for the Phone application is enabled.
3. Open the Mi Cloud app (or the Cloud in Russian).
4. Go to the "Talk Records" section (could be called Call Records).
5. So here you'll see all the synchronized files, and you can listen to them or download them back to your phone.

Important limitations:

• 🔴 Free Mi Cloud account only provides 5GB, so old records can be automatically deleted.
• 🔴 In some regions (e.g. the EU) synchronization of records is disabled by law.
• 🔴 Records in the cloud are stored in encrypted form – you can download them only to a device with the same Xiaomi account.

💡

If you have important conversations regularly, set up automatic uploads to Google Drive via the Automate or Tasker app, which bypasses the limitations of the Mi Cloud.

To check if synchronization is enabled:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Phone → Permissions.
2. Make sure that the Warehouse and Mi Cloud resolution are active.

5. Third-party applications: where they store records

If you use alternative applications to record calls (such as Cube Call Recorder, ACR or Boldbeast), their files are stored in other folders. On Redmi 9, the most popular paths are:

• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/CubeBackups/ — Cube Call Recorder.
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/CallRecorder/ — for ACR.
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Boldbeast Recorder/ — for Boldbeast.
• 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/[package]/files/ — for most other recording programs.

Features of the work of third-party applications on Redmi 9:

• 🔴 Nana MIUI 12+ Many applications require permission to access notifications to work properly.
• 🔴 Some programs (e.g. Boldbeast) may conflict with the Xiaomi built-in record.
• 🔴 On firmware with Android 10+ recording conversations through third-party applications can only work in hands-free mode.

If the recording is ongoing but the files are not saved, check:

1. Application permissions (Settings → Applications → [name] → Permissions).
2. The recording settings within the application itself (e.g. file format, save folder).
3. There is free space on the device.

6 What to do if records are lost or not saved

If you are sure that the recording was done but no files are available, try the following steps:

1. Check the Recycle Bin: In the Files app, open the Recycle Bin section – it is possible that the records were deleted accidentally and have not yet been completely cleaned.
2. Use Search: In the file manager, type.amr,.mp3, or.m4a into the search – these are the main record formats.
3. Check the memory card: If you are using SD-card, extract it and connect it to your computer through a card reader – sometimes files are saved there, but not displayed on the phone.
4. Restore via PC: Connect Redmi 9 to your computer and use programs like Recuva or DiskDigger to search for deleted audio files.

If the records have never been saved, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🔴 Legal Restrictions: Recordings may be blocked on firmware for the EU, India or China.
• 🔴 Application conflict: Two recording apps interfere with each other.
• 🔴 Lack of memory: There is less than 100 MB of free disk space.
• 🔴 Firmware error: On some versions MIUI 12.0.1-12.0.3 Redmi 9 had an error that saved the records but didn’t show up in the interface.

💡

If you've been updating MIUI and then lost your records, try rolling back to the previous firmware version, which often solves the file display problem.

To recover deleted records:

1. Stop using your phone as soon as possible so as not to erase your data.
2. Use root access (if any) and programs like GT Recovery for deep scanning.
3. Contact Xiaomi Service Center – sometimes you can extract the entries through the engineering menu (#4636###).

7. Alternative ways to record conversations on Redmi 9

If the built-in function doesn’t work, consider alternative methods:

• 📱 Google Drive + speakerphone: Turn on speakerphone and record the conversation via Google Drive (sound recording option.
• 🎧 External recorder: Connect a second phone or voice recorder to Redmi 9 via Bluetooth and record the sound from it.
• 💻 Recording via PC: Connect your phone to your computer, turn on Developer Mode and use ADB To capture the audio stream: adb shell screenrecord --bugreport /sdcard/call_record.mp4 It will record the screen and sound, but requires skill in working with the ADB.
• 🔄 Call forwarding: Set up a redirect to another number where the record is being recorded (e.g. via Zadarma or VirtualPBX).

For the ADB method, you will need:

1. Enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times).
2. Install ADB Tools on PC.
3. Connect Redmi 9 and execute a command to record.

⚠️ Note: Recording conversations without the consent of the interlocutor may violate the laws of your country. In Russia, for example, according to article 138 of the criminal code, this is permissible only with the notification of the second party (GDPR).

FAQ: Frequent questions about recording conversations on Redmi 9